Each year, the museum proposes to discover the works of Jules Desbois from a different angle, either by exploring the history of the sculptor or his works, or by inviting a contemporary artist to dialogue with the sculptures presented in the museum’s permanent itinerary.
In 2022, visitors are invited to discover the work of Fabien Mérelle, an artist who lives and works in Tours. This contemporary artist works both drawing and sculpture, which he prepares as performances. His works are imprinted with a strange reverie where he represents, his double and his relatives, mixed with nature, in an infinite and poetic imagination. An interpretation of the universe, of men and of what surrounds them, and of the relationships that bind them together. A gentle and confusing journey between personal and universal history, these works open us to our own myths.
For this exhibition, his works will interact with the sculptures of Jules Desbois. The exchange promises to be rich in emotions and poetry. He is interested in the links that unite him with Jules Desbois: the representation of bodies, the techniques of sculpture especially that of moulding, so decried in the nineteenth century, that the artist takes back; the problem of scale in the representation of bodies and the work on fragments. Fabien Mérelle also tells us his family story in which a strong link is forged with La Misère and the woman who served as a model for Jules Desbois.
An exhibition supported by the DRAC of the Pays de la Loire and the department of Maine-et-Loire